Weekly Prayer Mail

Dear Partners in Prayer,

Peace be with you.

This is our weekly public prayer mail.

This is Thanksgiving week in North America. If you want to make pumpkin pie from a pumpkin in Peru, you have to ask for "Calabash halloween" (a Halloween squash).

Thanksgivings:

a) Thanksgiving that the Diocesan Youth Leaders retreat went well, this past weekend. The Holy Spirit touched the lives of 20 to 25 youth leaders from across Peru. It was awesome.

b) Thanksgiving for the steps forward being made in the design of the ordination process in the Diocese of Peru.

c) Thanksgiving for our friends, supporters, and family. That would be you. Thank you to Jeanne and Debbie for your part in making sure we are in contact with everyone in various ways. Thank you to Fr. Gus Calvo and the Albany Diocese Mission Commission, members of our support team, and the people at SAMS (our mission sending agency). Thank you for all you do for us.

d) Thanksgiving for what God has done through us because of our willingness to minister in the Diocese of Peru. May you be similarly blessed by what God is doing through your continuing participation in this venture.

e) Thanksgiving for the people who work for Jesus in the Diocese of Peru as missionaries; we have the privilege of working alongside a great group of the people of Peruvian origin, for the Gospel. It is a wonderful team. There is a great bishop in Peru who is our team captain, and we like the seminary Rector and his family. I am glad we are part of this missionary team.

f) Thanksgiving for the diocesan administration teams in the Diocese of Albany and the Diocese of Peru. They have have been very helpful to us.

Prayer requests:

a) Lydia´s visa process is in another delay because of a signature that is needed. Pray for the content of the letter, that it would be signed by the department chief shortly, and for the visa process from that point, onward (whatever may be left to do).

b) Pray for the development and unfolding of the ordination process in the Diocese of Peru. The development process has gained momentum this past week, and an important presentation will be made Wednesday morning to the Diocesan Council. Julie is doing a fantastic preparation job. The exam process is unfolding well, for my part.

c) Pray for the winding down of this semester and the planning and preparation for the next cycle of classes which begins in February. We are having meetings to prepare for the next round. Preaching and Evangelism are our teaching prospects for the next cycle. We just finished teaching an Introduction to the Old Testament and a course on the Nicene Creed. I like team teaching with Julie, and she is really good as a faculty member.

d) Pray that lives will continue to be transformed through our prayer ministry. It seems that everytime we get together with others to pray in a prayer ministry it is just awesome. All three of us are involved: Julie, Lydia, and myself. There was a word from the Lord Saturday night by a priest in the Diocese that Lydia would have an important role to play. Please keep Lydia in prayer, for that role, whatever it may be.

e) Pray for the priorities, ministries, and finances of the Anglican Diocese of Peru, Saints Augustine Seminary, and the Mudge family. We could not do it without your support. You all are a God-send. Thank for praying for us. I pray for you every day.

f) Pray for the planning and preparation for the Diocesan short-term mission trip to Peru, in July, next year. We are in the design phase of the mission trip: what project(s) to do, etc. I just saw the guest list. Wow. What an fantastic group. Please keep Fr. Gus Calvo and the team in your care, and also our counterparts down here in prayer, that we would all do what Jesus wants us to do during that time together.

One additional item of note:

I felt led to look over some of my favorite psalms in Spanish, Saturday, and I came across a verse which is kind of a pun for the short-term mission trip to Peru next year, and also in general, for people in the Diocese of Albany. It goes like this:

NIV, Psalm 127:1/NVI, Salmo 127:1
Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.
Si el Señor no edifica la casa, en vano se esfuerzan los albañiles.

God bless you.

In Christ,
Fr. Shaw, Mtr. Julie, and Lydia,
Lima, Peru.